Why I did not go to the market yesterday?
-I could not choose between a local market or the market in the center of town, My local market, I have never visited before, but I am told is bustling with food and goods. Apparently, that is where I can find anything I need. Organic vegetables that are reasonable and fresh.
-I needed to be ready for the big crowds and being shoved about.
-To be ready to put up with loud noise, sounds of cars hooting and people calling their wares in different local languages
-I was not ready to see young girls, kayaye with their large silver bowls, waiting to carry our shopping.
-I did not have anything in particular to buy. I normally go and shop for rich colorful African fabric.
– I also did not want to endure the smells, smells of spicy cooked foods, of kebabs being grilled, a welcome but imposing smell.
– The sight of plastic, strewn around, normally upsets me.
-The heat, these days can be is quite unbearable and humid, especially in the afternoons, whilst it is cool in the mornings and evenings. So I could have gone to the market very early in the morning to escape the heat.
-I did not want to walk many miles through the maze looking for just one item.
Or maybe I should have gone
-To celebrate the hundreds of market women who toil in that environment to make ends meet.
-To buy my weekly supply fresh fruits and vegetables.
-To spend an hour at the stall near ‘Cow Lane’ where the lady, our friend now, spends time helping us select fabric to sew our next African outfit.
I wrote this piece yesterday on International Women’s day. I am always moved by the energy with which the African market women trade, in order to look after their families. On such occasions they always come to mind, as their toil should be celebrated.
GIFTS 
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